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Roster check: Heat suddenly flush with 3-point shooters

Former Heat killer Wayne Ellington is exactly what this team needs. (Getty Images)

One of the major complaints about the Heat the past two seasons was their lack of long-distance threats. In an era where the best teams cash in on 3s, Miami’s been trying to win with 2s.

That probably won’t be the case this season. Several of the team’s offseason acquisitions, including Wayne Ellington, are reliable deep shooters.

Ellington hit 35.8 percent for Brooklyn last season and is a 37.6 percent shooter for his career. No Heat player has hit more than 88 in a season (Luol Deng) the past two years, and Ellington made 96 last season.

Luke Babbitt, who came over in a trade from New Orleans, is a 40.3 percent shooter from 3 for his career. The only Miami player to top 40 percent for a season since the Big Three era was Josh Richardson at 46.1 percent last year.

As for the prospects, Rodney McGruder hit 38.4 percent in the D-League last season, and 6-foot-11 Stefan Jankovic was at 39.3 percent as a college senior at Hawaii.

Among returning players, Richardson could be the best shooter on the team if he come close to what he did last year. That would be a significant “addition” considering he barely played in the first half of the season. Tyler Johnson is at 37.8 percent for his career, but the Heat have never had him for a full season. If Chris Bosh makes it back, he shot 36.9 percent the past two years.

Then there’s Goran Dragic, the biggest mystery. He was a 36.1 percent 3-point shooter for his career before bottoming out with a career-low 31.2 percent last season. He made 40.8 percent in his final full season with Phoenix (2013-14) and could get back to something near that in an offense that sounds like it’ll be built around him.

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About the Author

Anthony Chiang began his writing career in Gainesville at the University of Florida’s student-run newspaper. At The Independent Florida Alligator, he covered the school’s golf, volleyball, baseball, and football teams. The Miami native has also written for the Sun Sentinel and MLB.com, following the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tom is a Heat beat writer for the Palm Beach Post. He has covered sports in Florida since 1981.